# Solani White and Black



## slyder (Mar 17, 2009)

Ok this was a great suprise. I wasnt expecting much when I bought this but its an awsome latakia blend. Its a broken flake of high quality tobacco. The taste is out of this world. Not very heavy on the latakia IMO. Excellent change of pace from other balkan type blends or english blends. Im gonna smoke another bowl at break time and try and give you a better description. I was so in shock when i smoked the first bowl i didnt pay attention to the flavors.

oh yeah i got a new lighter i want to show off so ill post pics of that.


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## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

This is great stuff, one of the few English blends I keep around. Also worth noting that it uses Syrian latakia, not the more common Cyprian.


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Jack Straw said:


> This is great stuff, one of the few English blends I keep around. Also worth noting that it uses Syrian latakia, not the more common Cyprian.


+1 - puffing thru a tin right now. Always nice.


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## slyder (Mar 17, 2009)

Smoked another bowl and you can definetly make out the virginias but i dont sense the cavendish. Great smoke though. Ill be stocking up on this blend for sure.


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## owaindav (Mar 7, 2010)

Absolutely a remarkable smoke! Picked up a tin just to try another Solani since I'd only had one other one and LOVED it.


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## dj1340 (Mar 30, 2009)

Thanks for the info Koby, I'll certainly try some now.


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## CaptainEnormous (Sep 30, 2010)

Jack Straw said:


> This is great stuff, one of the few English blends I keep around. Also worth noting that it uses Syrian latakia, not the more common Cyprian.


The Syrian Latakia makes a huge difference. It's much mellower than the Cyprus stuff, and also, I think, more complex. There's no Latakia-campfire taste here that so many other English blends revel in.

Solani W & B is a favorite of mine. I'm glad there's a thread for it now. I've recommended it a few times, but it's really difficult to explain. . .so now I can just point people here!


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## Jack Straw (Nov 20, 2008)

Agreed. In this blend it is just so nicely balanced with the virginias - it plays very nicely with their sweeter flavors. Has anyone tried enough other Syrian blends to say if this is due mainly to the type of leaf, or more to do with skillful blending on the part of Solani? How does it stack up to something like McClelland Three Oaks Syrian?


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## CaptainEnormous (Sep 30, 2010)

Anyone have advice as to other Syrian Latakia blends? I'd love to find another Lat/Cav/Va/Burley like Black & White. Or, even better, a selection of Englishes that uses Syrian Lat. . .

I've read the pipe wiki (as have you all, I'm sure), but to my taste, the only company that uses only Syrian in their blends is Solani.

I can only imagine my favorite Englishes (Frog Morton, Ruins of Isengard, Provost) with Syrian instead of Cyprus Lat. I know obtaining Syrian might well be impossible for a US blender, much less a US buyer. . .so we probably can't hope to see it locally.

But it's definitely good enough, and complex mellow intriguing enough, that I'd buy pounds sight-unseen of Syrian Lat blends if someone could offer.


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## CaptainEnormous (Sep 30, 2010)

CaptainEnormous said:


> I know obtaining Syrian might well be impossible for a US blender, much less a US buyer. . .so we probably can't hope to see it locally.


And update to my own post. . .it seems Solani and McClelland still have access to Syrian Latakia. Solani uses it exclusively. McClelland uses it in certain blends--special thanks to CWL for teaching me that Frog Morton Across the Pond is one of them!

I'm not sure whether other RL Will (who make Solani and Reiner, and maybe others?) products use Syrian.

Either way, this thread is worth bumping, if only to get people who "don't like English blends" to try something with Syrian Lat. It's completely different from Cyprus Lat. No campfire, no taste of burnt. It is it's own thing, and I'm hooked!


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## slyder (Mar 17, 2009)

yeah its definetly a different flavor...very good.


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

I read an article by GL Pease where he states that some companies like McClelland were large enough to have their own stock of Syrian. Other smaller vendors (like Pease) lost all of their supplies in a warehouse fire so they no longer produce blends with Syrian. While certain companies such as McClelland appear to have large remaining stocks the current political situation is preventing blenders from getting more quality Syrian leaf, so some day supplies may be depleted. Sounds like a another good excuse to build up our cellars! 

Just thought this might be of interest to readers of this thread.


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## doctorthoss (Jun 28, 2010)

CaptainEnormous said:


> Anyone have advice as to other Syrian Latakia blends? I'd love to find another Lat/Cav/Va/Burley like Black & White. Or, even better, a selection of Englishes that uses Syrian Lat. . .
> 
> I've read the pipe wiki (as have you all, I'm sure), but to my taste, the only company that uses only Syrian in their blends is Solani.
> 
> ...


Try McClelland's new blend, "Wilderness." It's the best presentation of Syrian I've ever tried, beating out even Bohemian Scandal and -- in my opinion -- the Solani (which is admittedly quite nice).
Wilderness is over 30 percent Syrian latakia with just a smidgeon of Cyprian -- you get just a little bit of the "campire" taste and lots of the incense, wine-like Syiran flavor.


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## CaptainEnormous (Sep 30, 2010)

doctorthoss said:


> Try McClelland's new blend, "Wilderness." It's the best presentation of Syrian I've ever tried, beating out even Bohemian Scandal and -- in my opinion -- the Solani (which is admittedly quite nice).
> Wilderness is over 30 percent Syrian latakia with just a smidgeon of Cyprian -- you get just a little bit of the "campire" taste and lots of the incense, wine-like Syiran flavor.


Appreciate the advice. I'll be adding a tin of Wilderness to my next order. Thanks!


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

doctorthoss said:


> Try McClelland's new blend, "Wilderness." It's the best presentation of Syrian I've ever tried, beating out even Bohemian Scandal and -- in my opinion -- the Solani (which is admittedly quite nice).
> Wilderness is over 30 percent Syrian latakia with just a smidgeon of Cyprian -- you get just a little bit of the "campire" taste and lots of the incense, wine-like Syiran flavor.


If it's better than Bohemian Scandal it must be good! Will definitely add to my next order. Thanks for the head's up.


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## PinkFloydFan (Oct 1, 2009)

CaptainEnormous said:


> The Syrian Latakia makes a huge difference. It's much mellower than the Cyprus stuff, and also, I think, more complex. There's no Latakia-campfire taste here that so many other English blends revel in.
> 
> Solani W & B is a favorite of mine. I'm glad there's a thread for it now. I've recommended it a few times, but it's really difficult to explain. . .so now I can just point people here!


Just ordered a few tins Dave... Thanks to you.
This is a terrific tobacco.. thank you for gifting me the first Tin I ever had of it.

- Vin


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## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

I am still very new to pipes, 
That said, White and Black is in my top 5.

Thanks Dave for recommending it..


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